ERP Marks Zero Carbon Milestone For NZ - Now We Must Deliver It Together

The release of New Zealand’s first Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) marks a significant milestone in our country’s transition to a zero-carbon future. The Sustainable Business Council (SBC) and the Climate Leaders Coalition (CLC) are pleased to see many of their recommendations reflected in the plan and look forward to playing their part in turning the plan into concrete action.

SBC Executive Director Mike Burrell says, "We saw some significant announcements today. Given that much of the ERP will require action and investment from the private sector, it is critical that business and government work in close cooperation. We would like to see a clear role for the private sector in implementation of the ERP."

"Our members have called for bold action to start now rather than waiting for the perfect plan. We’re getting on with it and are pleased to see many of our key recommendations reflected in this first ERP, including in energy, transport and agriculture."

"A group of our primary sector members were champions of the idea behind the Centre for Climate Action on Agriculture Emissions. They have called for a step-change in public and private investment in applied R&D in agriculture to unlock solutions to our largest emissions challenge - biogenic methane. Today’s announcement is an important first step in establishing a public-private joint venture to accelerate action in this area."

SBC and CLC also welcome many of the energy sector proposals, including step change in investment in the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry (GIDI) Fund and complementary actions to support process heat conversions. The transport actions now include ambition to decarbonise the freight sector by 2050 and measures to get there as laid out in SBC’s Low Carbon Freight Pathway.

"Our members recognise that business as usual is no longer an option. We have moved into a new era where climate action is the new business as usual, and it is pleasing to see a plan that is starting to reflect that movement," says Mr Burrell.

Mike Bennetts, Z Energy Chief Executive and CLC Convenor says the action taken now will be vital in determining the success of New Zealand’s transition to a zero-carbon economy.

"The ERP gives us the framework. We now must urgently deliver on it. That will require business and government working at unprecedented scale and pace to meet the challenge ahead."

"Our signatories are already taking action. CLC will soon launch a new statement of ambition to reflect signatories’ desire to unite New Zealand businesses to accelerate our transition towards a zero-carbon and resilient future."

"We were pleased to see 107 Parliamentarians vote in support of our first emissions budgets last week. Locking in a bipartisan emissions reduction trajectory is critical to enabling private sector investment decisions that support a low-emissions future," says Mr Bennetts.

SBC’s Mike Burrell says, "Our members know that climate action is not a partisan issue, it is good business sense. While there will naturally be different views about the policy detail, cross-party support for our overall trajectory is critical to an enduring response."

About SBC

The Sustainable Business Council (SBC) is a CEO-led membership organisation with more than 120 businesses from all sectors, ambitious for a sustainable New Zealand. Members represent more than $111 billion of collective turnover, 34% of GDP, and more than 179,000 full-time jobs. Our network gives members unparalleled influence and the ability to take large-scale collective action. SBC is part of the BusinessNZ network and is the New Zealand Global Network partner to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. www.sbc.org.nz

About CLC

The Climate Leaders Coalition (CLC) was launched in July 2018 to promote business leadership and collective action on climate change. With 105 signatories, they now account for almost 60% of New Zealand’s gross emissions, around 38% of GDP, and employ almost 220,000 people. Signatory commitments include measuring and publicly reporting their greenhouse gas emissions, setting a public emissions reduction target, and working with suppliers to reduce their emissions. www.climateleaderscoalition.org.nz

© Scoop Media